Rock News

Boston's Tom Scholz sues former guitarist in trademark dispute

Boston's Tom Scholz is taking legal action against one of his former bandmates. "The Boston Globe" says the rocker has filed a trademark infringement suit against the band's ex-guitarist Barry Goudreau.

He's accusing Barry of engaging in "persistent, unauthorized, and willful misuse" of the band's name and his place in the group's history, which the suit says "deprives Scholz of his ability to control fully the nature and quality" of the band's "products and services." He also claims it "harms" Boston's "valuable reputation and goodwill."

Goudreau was in Boston in the late '70s, and played on the band's first two albums before officially leaving in 1981. Scholz says Barry only made minimal contributions to the albums, but agreed to give him 20-percent of the discs' royalties.

Tom also says he agreed to let Barry to bill himself as "formerly of Boston," but he's used such phrases as "Barry Goudreau from Boston," "Barry Goudreau of the Multi-Platinum Group Boston," and "Barry Goudreau Lead Guitarist Rock Legend from the Band Boston" in promoting himself.

Scholz says he's suffered financially as a result of Goudreau's acts. With the lawsuit he's trying to end the 20-percent royalty agreement, and block Goudreau from implying that he's still associated with the band.